


sodapop

by Mintyaegyo



Series: Hongjoong, Yeosang and Seonghwa [1]
Category: ATEEZ (Band), ONEUS (Band)
Genre: Aged Down Characters, Anxiety, Crushes, Fevers, Fluff, Headaches & Migraines, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Sickfic, Sugar High - Freeform, Vomiting, awkward hongjoong, shy hongjoong, shy yeosang, soft youngjo, teen crushes, worried seonghwa, worried yeosang, youngjo is a saint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:07:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25524100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mintyaegyo/pseuds/Mintyaegyo
Summary: Hongjoong works up the courage to ask out the boy he likes, but what he’s feeling inside isn’t exactly lovesickness.
Relationships: Kim Hongjoong/Kang Yeosang
Series: Hongjoong, Yeosang and Seonghwa [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1845250
Comments: 2
Kudos: 28





	sodapop

**Author's Note:**

> This ended up way different than the original work I got it from (that I wrote years ago)
> 
> You can tell exactly where I started writing now, VS what I wrote back then.
> 
> Either way, enjoy how much of a good hyung Youngjo is. 🥺🥺

Hongjoong giggled as he spun around in the old computer chair, a half-empty  can of Cola in his hand. 

“Sodapop!” He looked around the room suspiciously, eyes darting at the walls. 

“Uh.. Hong?” Park Seonghwa, his friend said skeptically. “I think you’ve had enough sugar for tonight.” He reached over and grabbed the can out of his hand. Failing successfully, as Hongjoong let out a squeak of surprise and pulled his hand away, losing balance and falling onto the floor. Some of the Cola sloshed out of the can.

Hongjoong now lay on the floor, Seonghwa straddled on top of him and his other friend, Kang Yeosang, giggled hysterically in the corner. 

“Hongjoong, you idiot! You spilled the soda.” Yeosang snorted, covering his mouth as he giggled. Hongjoong turned to glare at him, then moving his head back forward and coming extremely close to Seonghwa’s face. 

Hongjoong let out a shy squeak, heat creeping up his neck into his cheeks. His gaze lingered up into Seonghwa’s eyes for a moment before he realized just how close they were. 

“You aren’t gonna kiss me… are you?” Seonghwa’s forehead wrinkled in a frown as he asked skeptically. Hongjoong turned an even darker shade of red. Yeosang glared at them from the corner, but neither of them noticed as they were lost in whatever weird moment they were having. 

“H-hell no.” Hongjoong managed to squeak out. “Now can you please get off me? I need to pee.”

Yeosang then shook his head with a snort, but he couldn’t help but feel some sort of jealousy bubble up inside him.

“Uh.. yeah, okay, sure. Don’t piss on the rug.” Seonghwa quickly scrambled off of him, wondering what the hell had just happened between them. Hongjoong stood up and set the near forgotten can on the old wooden computer desk. 

“Here, one of you can have it.” Hongjoong shrugged, sauntering towards the door. “I’ll be right back.” The other two boys nodded as the door closed gently behind him. 

“Oh, this song  _ slaps! _ ” Seonghwa suddenly straightens up, excited. “Wow! Amazing!” He starts to sing along, promptly followed by Yeosang’s voice. Hongjoong had returned finally, and by then, Yeosang and Seonghwa were pretty hyper. 

“Hong!” Yeosang jumped up onto him, wrapping his arms around the older. Hongjoong was a bit shocked at first, and kind of stumbled backwards into the now closed door. When he regained some of his balance, his cheeks were redder than a tomato and he smiled shyly. It was kind of obviously that he did have some sort of feelings for Yeosang; they both knew it, too. 

Then he did an unpredictable thing. Acting just on feelings and the moment, before he could chicken out and regret it, he leaned up and gave Yeosang a soft peck on the lips. He could feel his heart pumping blood into his ears, and he was sure his entire body was blushing by now. Seonghwa cooed in the background; the moment was so unexpectedly romantic. Nobody really thought Hongjoong had the guts. 

Yeosang squeaked out softly, his own cheeks just as red as Hongjoong’s. He pushes the older boy away in shock. 

“Hongjoong.. I-I can’t.” He looked down at Hongjoong with his widene’d brown eyes. Hongjoong looked up at him with a pleading expression. 

“W-why not?” He asked in a tiny voice, keeping an arm around Yeosang’s shoulder. He’d come this far- he wasn’t about to give up. 

“I just…I don’t know.” Yeosang smiled weakly, and Hongjoong returned the favor. Seonghwa, seeing as he really didn’t have much to do with it, let them have their moment and turned the music up. Meanwhile, Hongjoong was stuttering like an idiot. 

“Sang.. I… I want to.. Us? Together?” He squeaked out and Yeosang let out a shy giggle, covering his mouth with his hands. 

“Hwa, are you…getting any of this?” He turned his head to look over at what Seonghwa was doing. Seonghwa burst out into a laugh.

“Hong, your face is seriously like,  _ bright  _ red right now.” 

“It is.” Yeosang pointed out, also letting out more giggles. 

“Hey, I wouldn’t be talking” Seonghwa hummed, “your face is just as red.”

Yeosang let out an indignant squawk and covered his face even more, whining. 

~

Hongjoong was still struggling to get his words out. He had trouble with this sort of thing- human interaction and social etiquette. He was just acting on the way he felt inside, and the way Yeosang took care of him. Yeosang was the first person other than San, who actually made it known that they  _ did _ care for him. And it melted his heart. 

“Sang? Will you… will you go out with me?” He said it really fast, so it was barely understandable. He had backed himself up against the corner. His shoulders slumped down, but he looked up with eyes full of hope. 

“He’s shy.” Seonghwa commented offhandedly. 

“What?” Yeosang frowned. He hadn’t quite caught the question, due to the pounding of his own heart. 

“Sang, you idiot. He just asked you out!” Seonghwa nearly yelled. He was smiling, feeling happy insides because he was truly happy for his friend, but also a bit jealous inside. He didn’t know why; he knew Hongjoong and Yeosang had some sort of  _ thing _ going on. They had since the beginning- it was pretty obvious. Seonghwa had never thought about it before. Maybe he just.. wanted the attention? He still hadn’t completely approached Mingi in  _ that _ kind of way, and Yeonjun wasn’t really in the picture anymore..

“Huh?” Yeosang squeaked out, fiddling with the string of his pink hoodie. Hongjoong continued to stare at him with pleading eyes, before looking down at his socked feet.

“Hong?” Yeosang said, voice only a whisper. He felt bad- Hongjoong looked like he was absolutely expecting to be turned down. “Hongjoong, it’s a yes.” 

Hongjoong’s face broke out into a huge smile, and he reached out to pull Yeosang into his arms. Seonghwa could be heard making a strangled noise in the background- somewhere between a coo and a gag. 

“I.. I think I love you?” Hongjoong squeaked out into Yeosang’s shoulder, and Yeosang made a noise of confusion. 

“Is.. that a question?” He asked, wrapping his arms around the smaller boy. 

“I- only if you don’t say it back?” 

“Well… me too.”

~

The three of them continued hanging out in Hongjoong’s basement, Hongjoong sitting closer to Yeosang. They weren’t cuddling or anything, just sitting in close proximity. Seonghwa was sitting in the computer chair, swinging his legs- he’d found some stickers earlier and was quite entertained by them. The music played on in the background and Yeosang hummed along. Hongjoong felt incredibly shy. 

A part of him couldn’t believe he’d actually asked out Yeosang. That’s something he’d never thought was possible- getting a boyfriend. And working up the courage to ask someone out. When he did, it felt like the entirety of his body was on fire and filled with butterflies. He was also, incredibly surprised Yeosang had said  _ yes. _ Like, there were signs that they both had feelings for each other but neither knew If it was for sure. Seonghwa may have caught on, but Yeosang was usually too focused in his studies. Even if Hongjoong had written tiny messages and that one doodle during gym class he’d given to Yeosang. 

He continues to feel weird inside his chest, something rising in his throat. He felt hot all over. He listened to Yeosang sing along to the next song that came on, and without even thinking he laid his head on Yeosang’s shoulder. Was it normal to feel so weird inside after getting a boyfriend? Is this what people said butterflies felt like? Because it felt like he was going to throw up. 

Yeosang made a soft noise of acceptance and put his hand on Hongjoong’s thigh, signaling that it was okay that he’d leaned against the younger. They sat together comfortably, Hongjoong closing his eyes as he rested against Yeosang. He zoned out, mind wandering to random places; San, his homework, the smell of the soap Yeosang had used when he’d taken a shower that morning as Yeosang and Seonghwa bantered about a new video game Yeosang had gotten. 

After a while when Hongjoong thought that the heat inside his throat would have calmed down, he was starting to think that the weird feelings weren’t just from nervousness and butterflies. He really did feel lightheaded, like he was going to be sick. He wondered briefly if his hair was sweaty against Yeosang’s shoulder; it felt sweaty. And sticky. He lets out a soft whine, not comfortable with the feeling at all before he felt his mind slowly fade. 

Yeosang stops mid-sentence, frowning. Did Hongjoong just whine? Did he want attention? He blinks for a moment, perplexed before Seonghwa speaks. 

“What the fuck, I think Hongjoong just… passed out.”

“What?” Yeosang asks, feeling panic rise inside him. He looked down at Hongjoong’s small body. The older boy was slumped against him, eyes closed. His breath came out in shorter bursts and his cheeks were still red. “Hongjoong?” Yeosang reaches a hand up against Hongjoong’s forehead. 

“Does he have a fever?” Seonghwa questions, chewing on his lip nervously. “Is his neighbor hyung home?” He spun around on the chair, absently fiddling with a heart-shaped sticker. Yeosang nods with a pout. 

“He’s really warm.” Yeosang hums, eyes wide with anxiety. “Maybe I should… go get some water? I don’t think he’s home.”

“Ah, I’ll get it. You want to stay with him, right? He’s your boyfriend now.”

“I guess.” Yeosang hummed. Seonghwa wasn’t wrong- Yeosang didn’t really feel good about leaving his  _ boyfriend _ passed out on the floor. “Be quick, okay Hwa?”

~

When Seonghwa got back, Hongjoong was conscious again and his head was in Yeosang’s lap. Yeosang was stroking his hair back softly. Hongjoong’s eyes were closed, and he looked flushed from the fever. Yeosang looked up as Seonghwa walked back into the room and closed the door. 

“W-who’s that?” Hongjoong mumbled quietly into Yeosang’s jeans. The white walls suddenly felt very bright around him and the sound of the door closing was amplified by the pounding in his head and chest. 

“It’s Hwa.” Seonghwa told him, frowning with concern. Hongjoong hummed softly in acknowledgement, not opening his eyes. 

“M-my head hurts.” He said instead, brow furrowing. He whined, curling up closer to Yeosang. 

“Uh.. drink the water?” Seonghwa said helplessly, kneeling down beside them and holding the glass in front of Hongjoong’s face. Hongjoong sat up a little bit, supported by Yeosang’s hand steadying him and grabbed the glass of water. He blinked, feeling unsteady for a moment, just holding the glass. “You’re.. supposed to drink the water. I didn’t give it to you so you could hold it.”

“Oh.” Hongjoong choked out, taking a small sip before he gave the glass back to Seonghwa and laid his head back down in Yeosang’s lap. He coughed softly and Yeosang and Seonghwa exchanged a worried glance with each other. 

Hongjoong closed his eyes, falling asleep not soon after. Yeosang’s lap was soft and warm and that’s all he had needed in that moment. He let out a tiny whine, small body curled up on the beige carpet. As he fell, he felt Yeosang’s trembling fingers through his hair; soft and soothing. It reminded him of his mom. 

~

Hongjoong had awoken with a pounding headache; he shot up in his bed, beads of sweat rolling off his forehead. He hyperventilated a moment, immediately regretting sitting up so fast. His head felt like it was swimming underwater and his stomach turned dangerously. He whimpered, head laying back down into the pillow with a soft  _ phoomf _ . 

Wait, pillow? This wasn’t Yeosang’s lap. This felt different. Was he in his bed? How did he get here? He has zero recollection of being brought to his bedroom. He could feel his heart speed up with anxiety as he closed his tired eyes against.

“Woah, relax, Hong.” Yeosang’s voice came from his right side. “You’re okay. How do you feel?”

Hongjoong let out a weak whine in response, feeling like he was on a ship and and it was in some  _ very _ turbulent waters right now. 

“S-sea sick.” He chokes out. Yeosang frowns. He must be a little delirious from the fever.

“What?” 

“ _ Dizzy _ .” Hongjoong remarks, softer. “My stomach-“ 

“Ah.” Yeosang squeaks, feeling a little panicked. “Just… don’t sit up again, okay? Go back to sleep.”

“How did I..?” Hongjoong squeaks out the brief thought in his head. “...bed?” He groans and pulls the thin cover up higher over his body. Yeosang hums with a pout.

“Hwa and I carried you… you kind of passed out and fell asleep.” Yeosang explains in a soft voice, hands never leaving his hoodie string. Hongjoong hums in response, attempting to roll over; but even that made his stomach feel like it was rolling with him and he moves his hands up to cover his face with a groan. 

“Hong?” Yeosang frowns, the worry under his skin never leaving. He shifts in the chair, tilting his head. Hongjoong sucks in a breath, holding it for a moment and hoping that the waves rolling in his stomach would dissipate. They don’t. He feels weak, and his movements were slow- like his brain was lagging and his body wouldn’t cooperate. He felt like he had fallen underwater. 

He whines into his hands and without even a thought, he leaned over the side of the bed weakly and started gagging. He didn’t care that he was still in bed- that he didn’t have time to even tell Yeosang what was happening. His mind was only sending  _ danger, unwell  _ signals and all he wanted to do in his fevered state was to make the disgusting flip flop feeling deep in his stomach to  _ fuck off. _

Yeosang, of course, panics and jumps up, squeaking.  _ Hongjoong is going to throw up on the floor. _ He acts quickly as Hongjoong retches, grabbing the nearby garbage can by the door and placing it under Hongjoong’s hanging head. 

“No, no, no..” Yeosang mutters to himself, eyes wide with concern.  _ Hongjoong was sick enough to throw up. _ He cautiously put a hand on Hongjoong’s back to steady him, to soothe him. The smaller boy whimpered, unable to make the feeling go away. 

When Hongjoong was done, he sniffled, flopping back down weakly, black hair fanned out against the pillow. Yeosang didn’t bother to move the trash can, lest it happen again. Hongjoong was too out of it to apologize for the mess he’d made, he just kept his eyes closed, breaths coming out short. Yeosang placed the back of his hand on Hongjoong’s clammy forehead and scrunched his nose in distaste- hot. He didn’t have a thermometer- he didn’t know where they kept it. But Hongjoong’s temperature had to at least be 40 degrees. He had no idea what Seonghwa was doing. He was still in the house, he hadn’t gotten a ride home yet. Did he run off to play with the stickers?

“Hwa?” Yeosang peeks out the bedroom door and into the hallway. “Seonghwa!” 

“Hm?” Seonghwa walks out of the computer room, a Pokémon sticker stuck to his cheek. Yeosang doesn’t have it in him to giggle at how cute it looked. “What’s up, Sang? Is Hongjoong okay?”

Yeosang pouts and shakes his head with a soft little sigh, shuffling his sock feet on the carpet, making a soft noise of fabric vs fabric. Seonghwa clicks his tongue before sucking in his bottom lip. He felt a sinking feeling in his stomach.

“He threw up.”

“On the floor? I’m not cleaning it up- Ah, gross-“ 

“No! I grabbed the trash in time.” Yeosang stops Seonghwa from whining about the lack of cleanliness. “But he was-“

“Hm?”

“He seemed like.. what’s that word, delirious. Like he wasn’t aware of what’s going on..” Yeosang said in a small voice. He was afraid for his boyfriend. Seonghwa nodded, continuing to chew on his bottom lip. “He didn’t tell me he was gonna puke, he just kind of.. leaned over and started gagging. I think. I think we should.. get his neighbor Hyung.”

Seonghwa nods in agreement. They really wanted to take care of their friend but he realized that he might be sick beyond their control. This was too much to deal with- if he really was as out of it as Yeosang had said. There was no school nurse, no teacher and Seonghwa’s mom wasn’t there. 

“I’ll go next door, then.” Seonghwa asserts, shoving his hands into the pocket of his jeans. “It’s the one to the right of here, yeah? With the tulips in the garden and that weird harvest wreath on the front door even though it’s March?” 

Yeosang nods with a little giggle. “Yeah, the one with the weird harvest wreath.” 

Seonghwa nods again, rushing down the hall and sliding his Vans on before he leaves the house. He walks down to the right, noticing the faint snow on the side-walk, then up the path with the tulips. He stands in front of the door, taking a breath before knocking softly.  _ Fuck, this wreath is super weird. There’s pumpkins on it for God’s sake.  _ He waits a moment in silence, rubbing his hands together to warm them up. The night air was pretty cool and he could almost still see his breath. 

Seonghwa was lost in his thoughts when the door opened. He jumped when he heard Youngjo’s voice, looking up at the older boy. Youngjo was wearing grey joggers, and his black t-shirt slid off his shoulder. Seonghwa blinked. 

“Yeah? Hello?” Youngjo asked, tilting his head in confusion. “You’re one of Hongjoong’s friend’s, right?”

Seonghwa nods, chewing on his lip. 

“How can I help you?” Youngjo asks again and Seonghwa sighs, with wide eyes. 

“Hongjoong has a fever.” Seonghwa explains, thumbs rubbing over his pockets. “It seems pretty bad and Yeosang and I… we don’t know what to do.” He sighs awkwardly, giving Youngjo a pleading look. Seonghwa thought himself pretty mature for his age, but he was still only fourteen. He didn’t have what it took for more serious things in his mind, yet. Youngjo nods, lips pouting softly. He runs a hand through his dark hair with a soft humming noise. 

“Okay, shit. I’ll come check on him. Just give me like… two minutes.” Youngjo looked down and gestures to his Spider-Man slippers- to which Seonghwa finally noticed and chuckles softly. “I need to get my shoes.”

“Okay.” Seonghwa pulls his sleeves over his hands. “I’ll wait for you. Yeosang is with him right now.” 

Youngjo nods and motions for Seonghwa to come inside for a moment and he does, standing awkwardly at the front of Youngjo’s house as the older male goes to throw a hoodie and some old shoes on. Youngjo’s house is nice, Seonghwa thinks. There’s pictures of Youngjo on the wall, which was painted a lime green. When Youngjo is ready, he grabs his keys and follows Seonghwa quickly back into Hongjoong’s house. 

“San isn’t home?” Youngjo asks as they walk up the path. There were no flowers or decorations at Hongjoong’s. Seonghwa shakes his head, opening the door and letting Youngjo inside. 

“No. He’s probably… like, at the mall or something. Dunno.” 

“Ah.”

They slide their shoes off and Seonghwa leads him to the bedroom where Hongjoong was asleep. There were no pictures of Hongjoong or San at all hanging in the hallway. There wasn’t anything on the walls in the living room or the hallway. The bedroom door was open and Seonghwa walks right in. 

Yeosang was reading a book as he sat at the chair by Hongjoong’s bedside, and Hongjoong lay curled up under the blue blanket, cheeks flushed from the fever. His brow was furrowed. Youngjo pouted when he saw the younger boy. The first thing he does is press the back of his hand to Hongjoong’s forehead. 

“You weren’t lying, he really does look like shit.” Youngjo remarks. “Could one of you get me a cold cloth, please?” 

Yeosang folds the page of the book down and sets it on the floor before he gets up. 

“It’s really bad, hyung.” Yeosang says softly, eyes worried. He pouts up at Youngjo before he leaves the room. He makes his way to the bathroom, heart shaking a little. He felt so bad for Hongjoong- the poor boy couldn’t really catch a break at all and he wanted nothing more than Hongjoong to feel better. It hurt his heart to see his boyfriend in so much pain. He’d seen Hongjoong sick, obviously; he’d even seen Hongjoong have an anxiety attack and dissociate, and he’d seen him in the hospital.  _ But Hongjoong was awake in the hospital.  _

Yeosang turns the tap on and hums a little to soothe himself, reaching for the facecloth that sat on the edge of the bathtub. He makes sure the water is cold- Youngjo had told him cold. Which made sense because Hongjoong had a  _ fever _ which meant he was too hot. Scientifically, the reason Hongjoong was acting really out of it was because his fever was too  _ hot. _ Yeosang feels his hands shake as he runs the cloth under the water. The water feels like ice on his fingers, but the sound of the running water soothed his nerves a little bit. 

When he decides that the facecloth is sufficiently wet and cooled down, he squeezes it so it doesn’t drip everywhere and carries it back to Hongjoong’s bedroom. He stops, standing next to Youngjo’s taller frame. Youngjo is carding his fingers through Hongjoong’s sweaty bangs, and Hongjoong lets out a soft whimper, automatically leaning into the touch of Youngjo’s fingers. 

“Yeosang’s back.” Seonghwa says softly from the chair that Yeosang had occupied a minute before, but the book was still on the floor. Youngjo hums and turns his head to Yeosang who doesn’t say anything, but just offers up the cold facecloth with an awkward smile. Youngjo takes the cloth from Yeosang, turning back to Hongjoong. He pushes the boy’s hair back from his forehead, stroking it softly before he gently lays the wet cloth over his skin. Hongjoong scrunches his nose in unrest, and its silent for a beat. 

“This should help cool him down.” Youngjo explains to the other two, “Hopefully his fever breaks soon. How long has he been like.. this?” Youngjo runs a hand through his own hair, looking at Yeosang and Seonghwa. 

Yeosang shrugs, hoodie strings wrapped around his finger again. He exchanged a look with Seonghwa, who waits for him to speak. 

“He.. uh.” Yeosang starts, cheeks turning red remember exactly what had happened earlier. He decides Youngjo does not need to know that they were  _ an item _ at this point in time, he was shy, and it wasn’t what he had asked. “We were hanging out in the office… Hongjoong and I were sitting on the carpet, and then he just.. passed out. Before that, he was like, fine.” 

“I can attest, he was fine.” Seonghwa comments from the chair, lips in a pout. Youngjo ruffles his own hair and nods, humming and taking in the information that the two kids have given him. 

“So he just.. randomly passed out?” Youngjo asks with a somewhat skeptical frown. “He didn’t show any signs of being sick before that? And he didn’t.. cry at all?” He feels a weird pang inside his chest as his mind went back to the time he found Hongjoong sobbing at four in the morning; the time they’d had to take him to the hospital. Yeosang nods, chewing on his lip. 

“After that, we gave him some water, then we took him to bed.” Seonghwa tells Youngjo. Seonghwa’s leaning forward in the chair, fingers peeking out from his sleeves. 

“And he threw up.” Yeosang comments quietly. It looks like the string is wrapped so tight around his finger that it’s cutting off the circulation, as he absently stares at one of the posters on Hongjoong’s wall. “It was scary. Hwa wasn’t there but- he was so out of it it was like he didn’t even realize it was happening. That’s when I kinda freaked out a-and told him to go get you.” Yeosang feels his heart rate speed up, and without realizing it, he’s sniffling and pressing his sleeves to his eyes to stop the panicked tears. He was just Yeosang, and he really didn’t like this. Was Hongjoong going to be okay? 

Youngjo’s mouth opens as he realizes Yeosang’s started to cry and he immediately wraps the younger boy in his arms. 

“Hey.” Youngjo murmurs, just holding Yeosang against his chest for a moment. Yeosang sniffles again- he thinks Youngjo smells like pancakes and cinnamon and it calms him down a little. He lets out a soft whimper, letting out his anxieties. “It’s gonna be okay. It’s probably just because his temperature is so high. Ah- hey, don’t cry. I’ll take care of him, okay?” He feels Yeosang nod into his shirt, and he softly rubs the younger’s back. He keeps Yeosang close before turning to Seonghwa- he figures he’d let Yeosang calm down and it’s better to not ask him any more questions directly. “Did you give him any medicine?”

Seonghwa shakes his head. “No. I don’t know where he keeps it.” 

“Oh. Ah, It’s in the cupboard above the counter, like, by the stove.” 

“How do you know that, hyung?” Seonghwa asks, tilting his head. His lips felt dry from biting, so he sticks his tongue out to lick them, and it stayed there for a moment. 

“I think I’m here more than San, honestly.” Youngjo gives a short chuckle. Seonghwa blinks, looking like a lost kitten. “I want to give him a fever reducer, could you.. go get it?” 

Now that Seonghwa’s been told where it is, he nods and gets up obediently. He goes to the kitchen and opens the cupboard, frowning in thought as he reads the labels on the bottles. He finds the fever reducer and comes back to the bedroom, offering the whole bottle to Youngjo. 

“Here, hyung.”

“Thanks.” Now that Yeosang had found comfort in Youngjo’s arms, he stuck close to the older boy even though he felt shy for letting his feelings get the best of him. It wasn’t the coolest to cry in front of a hyung, but he couldn’t help it. Now his eyes felt all wet. 

Youngjo unscrews the lid of the bottle and taps the bottle to his hand, so that two pills come out. He sets the bottle on the bedside table and gently tries to wake Hongjoong. He takes the cloth off the boy’s forehead and sets it down next to the bottle before running his hand through his hair. 

“Hongjoong, hey. Can you wake up for me?” 

Hongjoong makes a soft noise and furrows his brows. The cold cloth must’ve helped a little because his eyelids flutter open a little and he whines. 

“Hm..?”

“Hey, how are you feeling?” Youngjo asks, tilting his head as Hongjoong comes to. The boy blinks the grogginess away and Youngjo can tell that Hongjoong is still not all there. 

“Youngjo hyung..?” Hongjoong murmurs, frowning. “Wh-“

“Your friends were very worried about you, you’ve got a pretty bad fever.” Youngjo explains, letting Hongjoong have a little bit of space as he becomes more aware. 

“Hn…” was his response. He rubs his eyes like a tired child. He felt all weird and wavy inside still. It felt like there was something missing. 

“Do you.. do you think you’d be able to take something for me?” 

Hongjoong blinks slowly. 

“It’s going to help you feel better.”

Hongjoong opens his mouth obediently, and Youngjo almost snorts. He expected a fight. Seonghwa hands him a glass of water and he places the pill in Hongjoong’s mouth, holding the water up so he could take a small sip. Hongjoong sips softly and swallows, making a face and sticking his tongue out after. 

“The aftertaste must suck.” Seonghwa comments. Yeosang snorts. 

“Okay, do you think you can take a second one?” Youngjo asks and Hongjoong shakes his head. His stomach still felt like he was on a rollercoaster. “That’s okay. Can you tell me what you feel like?” 

“Sick.” Hongjoong says after swallowing. He bites his lip and closes his eyes again, laying his head back onto the pillow. “W-wavy inside n’ .. dizzy.” Hongjoong murmurs softly, “and I’m  _ cold. _ ” 

“How is he cold, he has a fever. Shouldn’t he feel hot?” Seonghwa frowns in confusion. Yeosang lets out a deep sigh. 

“That’s not how it works, Hwa.” Yeosang turns to his friend, brain now distracted momentarily by science as Youngjo reaches to wrap the blanket around Hongjoong a little tighter.

“ _ What?” _

“When you have a fever, it’s ‘cause your temperature is too high,” Yeosang explains, pushing his hair back for a moment and taking a shaky breath. “So like, the temperature of the room is  _ still the same _ . So your body is like.. adjusting to the temperature and it’s making you feel cold, but you’re really still super hot because you have a fever.”

Seonghwa shakes his head and blinks, incredulous. “Okay,  _ what? _ Can you please explain that to me in terms that aren’t super nerdy? Nerd.”

Yeosang huffs and rolls his eyes. “Your body is so hot that it feels cold. Have you  _ ever _ had the flu, Hwa?” Yeosang puts a hand on his hip. 

Seonghwa thinks, tilting his head back. Of course he’s had the flu. Everyone’s had the flu. There was one year where ¾ of the class had it at the same time so all they did was play  _ Heads Up 7 Up  _ during class. He remembers feeling cold and asking his mom to wear her fuzzy socks even though they were pink. 

“Oh, so  _ that’s  _ what a fever feels like?” 

“Oh my god, you’re an idiot, Hwa!” 

~

It got later and as Hongjoong slept, the two boys had to go home- they had school the next day and Mrs. Park had come to pick them up. Youngjo tells them goodbye and thanks them for taking care of Hongjoong. 

Seonghwa slides his shoes on and Yeosang pulls his hoodie sleeves over his hands so only his fingertips are peeking out. 

“You guys are really great friends, honestly.” Youngjo says with a fond smile. His hands are in the pockets of his black hoodie as he stands on the carpet. Yeosang stands next to Seonghwa by the front door. 

“I’d like to think so.” Yeosang says, cheeks reddening a little.  _ They’re more than friends.  _

“Seriously, I mean it.” Youngjo continues, “Hongjoong has seemed a lot different since he’s starting hanging out with you guys. It’s the most I’ve seen him smile since… yeah. So.. thank you for always taking care of him, I guess.” 

Yeosang feels his heart soar into his chest and burst into fireworks. It felt good to hear. To know that Hongjoong seemed  _ happier _ because of  _ him.  _ And because of Seonghwa. To know that Hongjoong was doing well. Yeosang never had really thought of himself as a good influence, but if his neighbor could see it even, it felt good. 

“Ah.. really?” Yeosang squeaks out. “Thank you. I- I try my hardest to make sure he’s included and comfortable with us.” Youngjo grins. 

“I know I’m only his neighbor, but San and I had become friends at some point and after their hyung… passed, I felt like I had a responsibility to care for them, y’know? Sorry for getting sentimental on you guys.” He chuckles softly. “Come by anytime, yeah?” 

Both boys nod and smile, leaving the house. 

~

San had ended up staying over at a friend’s house, for whatever reason he didn’t want to come home. San wasn’t home that often, and Youngjo didn’t care too much as long as he knew San was safe.

Hongjoong had woken up just past midnight in a cold sweat. He felt hot and cold at the same time; it was hard to breathe. His stomach rolled dangerously even though he was just laying in bed. He gasped and whimpered. Was he alone? Was San home? He curled up tightly, pulling the blue comforter as high as it could go over his body. Why did he feel so  _ sick? _

Youngjo is there not even two minutes later- he must have been in the living room with the TV on at low volume. 

“What’s wrong?” Youngjo asks in a soft voice, brows pinched in concern. It was late. 

“H-hyung?” Hongjoong chokes out, sucking in a breath. 

“Are you okay?” Youngjo tilts his head, reaching to stroke Hongjoong’s side. Hongjoong whines out again. He felt sweaty, clammy. He shakes his head. “What hurts?”

“I-I’m gonna throw up-“ Hongjoong squeaks out, eyes suddenly wide, looking up at Youngjo in a panic. Youngjo makes a noise, and is quick with the trash can before Hongjoong can gag onto the floor. He rubs soothing circles between the younger’s shoulder blades and Hongjoong sniffles. “Fuck. I-I’m sorry, hyung” 

“It’s alright,” Youngjo hums, offering Hongjoong a sip of the water that’s been sitting on the table. He sips it gratefully- only a small one, just to wash the taste away before he lays back against his pillow. “You know I’m here, yeah?” 

Hongjoong makes a noise of affirmation in response. 

“Are you okay now?” Youngjo asks in a soft voice and Hongjoong makes the same noise. 

“I- I guess…” 

Youngjo scoffs, ruffling Hongjoong’s messy hair. Hongjoong opens his eyes in questioning. He didn’t feel quite quite so disgusting anymore now that his fever had broken a little, now that he’d emptied his stomach. He was settled, just for a moment. 

Youngjo chuckles and gives a soft, fond kiss to Hongjoong’s forehead. Hongjoong doesn’t question it in his exhausted state- he just leans into it and falls asleep shortly after. 


End file.
